BETWEEN THE LINES
by HurryUpSlowly
Summary: Halfway through the journey of his life and he finds himself here, in the dark corridors of a ship, an old friend his guide and comfort. A series of drabbles and/or ficlets on Hero in the Hold. Probably not what you'd think. Enjoy! Now complete.
1. They Who One Another Keep Alive

**Author's Note:**_ I honestly don't know where these came from. But here they are… I hope you enjoy them. _

**Timeline: ** _Set during _The Hero in the Hold.

**Disclaimer:** Nope, not mine.

_Please review – it'll help me decide whether it's worth continuing._

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**They Who One Another Keep Alive**

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She's standing on the platform, looking a little lost amidst the buzz of activity around her.

"Sweetie, drink this."

"It's OK, Ange. The helicopter will be here to pick me up soon."

"It's going to help you stay alert. It's just water and one of those fizzy vitamin tablets."

She takes the glass and drinks absently.

"Either we get to him in time or... we don't. I know this, but not getting there in time is completely unacceptable. We _have_ to do it, Ange."

"We'll do it, Bren."

She finishes her drink, hands me the glass.

Looks through me.

"Either way, there won't be a funeral this time," she whispers.

I let out the breath I didn't even know I'd been holding.

She leaves without a backwards glance.

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_The first version of this was at least twice as long, but I managed to pare it down to the minimum. I hope it's still intelligible. Please let me know._

_The title is from a poem by of John Donne:_

_'They who one another keep  
Alive, ne'er parted be.'_

_And yes, I have an irresistible urge to acknowledge quotes and sources. *Holds hands up* Don't shoot!_

_Next one coming up soon._

**Please review!**


	2. Your Possible Pasts

_**Author's Note: **__Many, many thanks to the people who reviewed the first drabble! Well, this one's pretty self-explanatory, too. Just for the record, though – I don't know where this one came from either._

_**Timeline: **__Set during _The Hero in the Hold_. *mutters 'duh' to self*_

_**Disclaimer:**__ Not mine. But if they were… oh, the opportunities are endless._

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**Your Possible Pasts**

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Halfway through the journey of his life and he finds himself here, in the dark corridors of a ship, an old friend his guide and comfort.

As he works his way out, he thinks of all his pasts - the places he's been to, the things he's done, the people he's cared about. The things that could have happened and the things that did happen. The roads he never walked, the turns he did not take.

It makes him feel old and tired and happy, all at the same time. He's no stranger to dreams, to longing to see the people he's loved and lost - just one more time. Ghost or hallucination – whatever it is, he's more than willing to go with it.

Anyway, he could use the company. It's so familiar to him, the camaraderie between soldiers – throw in some ironic banter, some mutual respect and some masculine swagger and you've got yourself an army buddy. It's an easy pattern that he falls into through deeply ingrained habit – nothing more required of him than what he's already prepared to give. Who knew that he still had it in him?

This time, he knows that he must leave his friend behind. As he strides towards the helicopter, he feels almost weightless, the burden of this past lifted from his shoulders. No one knows what the future brings, he thinks as he gets the hug he wanted so badly but never got last time. For now, he will just settle for the present.

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_Sort of obvious, but it begged to be written (at least in my head)._

_...and the usual note on the title: it's a song from an old Pink Floyd album called _The Final Cut ('T_hey flutter behind you, your possible pasts/ Some bright-eyed and crazy, some frightened and lost'). It's an anti-war album about the aftermath of heroes' non-return from war. I thought it just fit the Booth/Teddy Parker storyline. There's some Dante thrown in there as well, for good measure._

_Well, that's what the Muse ordered and who am I to quibble? _

**Yep - the review button is right here.**


	3. By Any Other Name

**Author's Note:**_ Well, this is pretty self-explanatory. I think._

**Timeline:**_ The Hero in the Hold. Which you already knew, of course, so why did I have to point that out? Right. :) Rhetorical question, by the way._

**Disclaimer**_: Not mine. Obviously._

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**By Any Other Name**

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She names the dead, returns them to their families, holds steadfast against the anarchy threatening to engulf the world. She is not a Christian. She does not believe in baptism or redemption.

The very act of naming things brings them into existence. That which has no name has no place in her reality.

She deliberately refrains from naming the half-remembered shards of dreamscape floating indeterminately in her conscious mind. It is the only way that she can allow herself to be with them.

When her friend utters the word "love", she recoils. A prohibited act has just been performed. Then, she acquiesces, because that which has just been named is not the same as that which she forbids herself.

Later, as they stand in the cemetery and he speaks of pasts and ghosts, she thinks "I know what that means".

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_Well, this time you already know where the title comes from. _

**Please review!**_  
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	4. Fear and Love

_**Author's Note:**__ It would be pretty pointless to have an author's note at this stage, don't you think? :) _

_**Timeline: **__Set during _The Hero in the Hold_._

_**Disclaimer:**__ Not mine. But this is how I imagine them._

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**Fear and Love**

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An enemy as insidious as any he's ever faced, in a landscape peppered with concealed signs, half-spoken truths and unacknowledged meanings. Sheer instinct prompts him to become one with his surroundings, to keep his head down. He no longer lies in wait, but he knows he cannot leave his position. Sometimes it feels like a trap, sometimes like a blessing.

He's bound to the parameters of their relationship by a myriad ties, each one securely fastened around him. It does not escape him that friendship can be inimical to love. Fear of what would happen if he challenged the established rhythms of their lives anchors him and weighs him down at the same time.

"Maybe that's why I'm here," his friend says, but he's wrong. Saying things is easy. Taking them back is impossible.

Somehow, the line he's drawn has become his last line of defense. The rest is just camouflage.

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_Yep, the POV is exactly what you think. As for the title, it is that of a Morcheeba song – strangely enough, one of the most soothing I've ever heard._

_Much as I love a touch of ambiguity, I really don't know whether I managed to make this idea come across clearly. _

**Please tell me what this means to you! **

**The review button is, as always, right here.**


	5. Good Bye to All That

_**Author's Note:**__ A quick warning on the switch in POV in this final section.  
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_**Timeline:**__ The very end of Hero in the Hold._

_**Disclaimer:**__ Do I wish they were mine? Sure I do._

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_**Good Bye to All That**

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Here in the last of meeting places, she stands tall, watchful, waiting for him to return to her side.

Who is this woman?

I can hear the dead calling to her. Some ask for justice, some for revenge.

Who is this woman?

I watch over her until he returns. They walk together, their long, purposeful strides taking them back into the realm of the living.

I smile. It feels good to be remembered.

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_And this concludes this series of drabbles/ficlets for Hero in the Hold. __To me, it makes sense as a coherent whole, although this wasn't planned. _

_And the - by now obligatory - name-dropping for this section: Robert Graves (the title) and T S Eliot (some of the first line). Just because I'm really fastidious and I don't want people to give me credit for what's not mine._

_I hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing this. Thanks for reading!_

_Please let me know what you think of this chapter and the other ones – the review button is, as always, right about... here._


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